Seven Qualities of People You Want Building Your Brand

Every company naturally wants the best and brightest employees under its roof. But aside from the skills to do his or her job, and a willingness to work with others, what traits mark the kind of folks who are valuable assets to your business and brand?

Below are seven characteristics or habits to look for in individuals when building (or partnering with) a team. Regardless of whether an individual is in management, marketing, accounting, human resources, information technology, or any other part of your enterprise, these qualities will yield ideas and actions that can help advance your organization.

Inquisitive

People who are curious about the world around them aren’t afraid to ask questions. And people who are comfortable asking questions tend to know more, have deeper insights, and can make bigger contributions than those who aren’t. Showing curiosity and interest in multiple ways is a sign of an active mind and a person who is willing to explore different ways of overcoming a challenge. Speaking of challenges…

Problem-solvers

Every business everywhere needs to solve problems every day. It’s important to have people who understand this and gain personal satisfaction from meeting a need, overcoming an obstacle, or turning a negative into a positive. Without problem-solvers, any business will soon be one that’s out of business.

Problem-solvers also aren’t satisfied with merely doing a good job. They constantly seek to make satisfactory things better. You’ll never hear these people cop an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude.

Positive

Nothing kills morale—and achievement—in an organization more effectively than people who are quick to criticize, disagree with, and snap at others, no matter how brilliant they might be. Positive people not only create a more pleasant environment, but they inspire greater teamwork and bounce back more quickly from setbacks than naysayers. They are also more effective leaders and communicators because they understand that almost everyone performs better in the long run in response to encouragement and support than to threats and intimidation.

Flexible

Team members who demonstrate that they can easily adapt to different situations are likely able to look at business and marketing challenges from different perspectives—and come up with unexpected and creative solutions. In addition, people who take fluid environments in stride often are good leaders because they focus on the opportunities that arise from change and are able to help direct people and resources to take advantage of them.

Self-starters

No one likes being a “parent” to other employees. You already have enough on your work plate without having to constantly remind others about performing certain tasks, meeting a deadline, or getting started on an assignment. That’s why self-motivated, proactive people are pure gold in any organization. They save your organization time and angst, and have the personal drive to get more done and solve more problems.

Love to learn

This quality goes hand in hand with being inquisitive. Successful people see learning as a natural, everyday process that’s applicable anytime and anywhere. If you can learn a new skill, you become a more well-rounded and capable asset to your company. If you acquire greater knowledge of an existing situation or entity, you may be able to improve upon it. If there’s a downside to a desire for continuous learning, no one’s discovered it yet.

Sensitive to other viewpoints

It isn’t always easy to see things from other people’s perspectives. However, the entire marketing industry is predicated on exactly this ability. Whether it’s trying to understand how a market segment, customer, prospect—or even co-worker or boss—perceives something, people who empathize with others’ individual needs and thought processes are often generators of breakthrough ideas as well as successful managers.